Stocking-supporter



(No Model.)

Witnesses.

6 7d YE G. SPENCER. STOGKING SUPPORTER.

Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

1| Elli Q Inventor.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE SPENCER, OF BUFFALO, NEIV YORK.

STOCKlNG-SUPPORTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,369, dated February 9, 1892.

Application filed June 18, 1890. Serial No. 355,871. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Butfalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in StockingSupporters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in certain improvements in devices for supporting stockings or other articles, whereby a very simple and ef fective device is produced, all of which will be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompan yin g drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing a slight modification in the form of the same and showing also a portion of elastic connected therewith, and Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same. The supporter is preferably formed of one piece of wire, with the upper portion folded or doubled upon itself to form the means for attaching it to the clothing, and the lower portion is formed into two companion loops 1 and 2, which lie nearly together or substantially parallel and are joined firmly together at their upper ends, but are separable at their lower ends for the reception of the elastic or other article to be held by them. The upper portion is formed into a continuous loop f, which can be placed over a button or over a fold of the cloth.

In Fig. 1 the free end of the wire of each loop is tightly joined or clasped to the wire of the opposite loop near the lower end of the retaining device, one end being indicated at 9 and the other end at 10. In Figs. 2 and 3 the ends of the wires are crossed between the upper and lower portions, and the free end of the wire of each loop is continued up to and tightly wrapped around the crossed portion. In either of the above constructions the up per ends of the lower or companion loops are firmly secured together, so that their lower portions are normally held close together and they can only be separated by springing them apart, which will cause them to naturally clasp the elastic between them with a certain amount of tension, which will prevent its falling out accidentally, as it would be liable to do if the loops were loosely connected at their upper ends. The elastic or other material is put in by slipping the end 3 in between the two parts 1 and 2, thereby leaving the end at in the position shown by the dotted lines 6 in Fig. 3. The end 4 is then turned up over the ring or frame 1, and then passed through both frames 1 and 2 in the direction of the arrow 7, shown in Fig. 3, and then down in the position substantially as shown at e in said Fig. 3. It will be seen from the above construction that if a strain be now brought upon the portion 6 the two rings or frames 1 and 2 will be drawn tightly together, and that the greater the strain the more tightly they will be drawn together, so that it will be impossible to thus pull it out from the pieces 1 and 2 without breaking it. \Vhile the elastic is thus held rigidly in place, there are other positions in which it can be easily drawn through the rings or frame-pieces 1 and 2. For instance, if the end 3 be taken hold of it can be easily pulled through and out, if desired, or if the end 4 (shown in Fig. 8) be raised up, substantially as shown by the dotted lines 8, it can be easily moved through or entirely out of the device, if necessary.

I claim as my invention A garment-supporter consisting of a single piece of wire doubled upon itself to form a loop at one end and having its ends formed into two companion loops at the other end, said loops lying near to and substantially parallel with each other, and the free ends of the wire forming said loops being rigidly secured to the main portions of the wire intermediate the ends of the supporter, substantially as described.

GEORGE SPENCER.

lVitnesses:

CORA J. BLAKELEY, JAMES SANGSTER. 

